Naming and forgetting: Collecting Fieldnames and Minor Placenames in County Clare

Micheál Mac Gearailt presents the work of the Shannon Archaeological & Historical Society, who have collected, transcribed, and preserved hundreds of minor placenames in County Clare in recent years. Through a mixture of first-hand sources (interviews, sending maps to local farmers), and consulting historical documents (estate maps, the School’s Collection, etc) they have utilised the online community-led project of Meitheal Logainm, an easy-to-use software created by the Placenames Branch which enables the digital preservation of this integral cultural heritage. Micheál will share their methodologies, and answer questions on how other groups can embark on their own placename collection.

Micheál Mac Gearailt is PRO of the Shannon Society, from Sixmilebridge. A graduate of Celtic Languages, he is currently undergoing an MSc in Archaeological Science at Leiden University.